Me, in a race!

Okay, so to say I am an athletic person would surely make my nose grow at an astonishing rate! I'm the least athletic person that I know!  Don't get me wrong, I like to think I'm strong and I have lots of energy, but when it comes to overall coordination or a commitment to fitness or any particular sport for that matter, I am sorely lacking.  In elementary/middle school, I would have preferred letting spiders crawl up and down my arms over that dreadful physical fitness test any day of the week!  Being tall in high school led the women's basketball coach to approach me for tryouts; I never tried out, fully knowing that my height would never make up for what I lacked in speed, ability, and coordination.  

So here I am, six months from my 30th birthday, uncoordinated and overweight, with a secret ambition that's been dancing in my mind for at least 10 years.  Me, in a race!  At first I thought, okay, I'll start with a 5K or a 10K, then seamlessly overnight, with the encouragement of my childhood friend Maria, it morphed into a half marathon; more specifically, The San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon.  Maria, a seasoned runner/race participant, will hopefully make the trip out from North Carolina to California for a unique reunion, the kind where we see each other after 10+ years briefly before we embark on this ridiculously long foot race!

Most importantly, we will be raising money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  I will be doing the race in memory of Rosina Hastings, who passed away in January of 2008 after a very brave battle with Leukemia.  I met Rosina through my job when I first moved out to Los Angeles about eight years ago.  I didn't know Rosina really well, but whenever I would see her she would greet me with the most vibrant smile and a big warm hug, as if I was someone she'd known her whole life.  I have a feeling she was like that with everyone, that's just the kind of person she was.  It's not often that you meet someone whose spirit is so vibrant and bright that their energy can light up a room, but that was Rosina. She was the mother of three beautiful children, a loving wife, sister, daughter, and wonderful friend to so many.  Her husband, Peter, started a blog (www.rosinasroadtrip.blogspot.com) upon her diagnosis to keep everyone updated on her journey with this illness.  It ended up becoming an amazing tribute to Rosina and her life.

For me, this race goes beyond the physical into the emotional.  I need to get my head there! When I think about doing it, I get nervous, really nervous, almost like the first day of school times a million nervous.  All of these fears and doubts fill my head.  Can I really do this?  Will I start the race and watch everyone else sprint past me as I struggle to keep up?  Then there's the downright silly stuff.  How will I protect my skin from the sun while I sweat?  Will they let me reapply my sunscreen at the water stations?  What if I train for four months and get sick the day before?  I know, I'm full of worries and I have to push all of these aside and JUST DO IT!  

I've never blogged before but this, for better or worse, seemed like a journey worth chronicling. Some entries may be short, some may be long, and some might be tragically boring, but I'll be sure to update you on the triumphs and the setbacks.  The good, the bad, and the blistered; it will all be here for your reading pleasure and it might just encourage others to challenge themselves!

P.S.  Just wanted to add this link for my Team in Training page, you can donate online to help me reach my fundraising goal, every dollar counts and brings us closer to a cure!  http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/rnr09/jmarkhaafe